USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Norton > History of the town of Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, from 1669 to 1859 > Part 39
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The following are those who covenanted with the church after the ordination of Mr. Carpenter : -
John Finney, 2d, Sarah Balcom, William Cambell, William Leonard, George Briggs, Mary Smith, Daniel Finney, Ste- phen Haskins, Mary Briggs, Mary Story, Abigail White, John Woodward, Deborah Woodward, Mary Finney, 2d, John Finney, 1st, Benajah Smith, Elizabeth Finney, Tabitha Bab- bit, Keziah Andrews, Bethiah Soulard, Mary Allen, 2d, Sarah Lincoln, Silence Hewit, Peter Soulard, Abigail Austin, Mary Allen, 1st, James Leonard, Richard Eason, Mary Haskins, Ebenezer Jones, Patience Cook, Daniel Niles, Esther Rob- bins, Shubel Cambell, Sarah Allen, Mary Finney.
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
"By one spirit are we all baptized into one body." - PAUL.
THE reader, being acquainted with the contents of the last chapter, need not be informed that the society. whose history we are now to record is a continuation of the dissenting church under a new name and a somewhat different faith. The first record of immer- sion was that of Mary Jones, by Elder Backus, Jan. 9, 1761; and, March 1, 1761, Mary Phillips covenanted with the church. We now quote from the records : -
" March ye 5, 1761. - Elder William Carpenter was bap- tised by immersion by Elder Backus; and, at the same time, Patience Cook was baptised by immersion."
" March ye 18, 1761. - At a church-meeting held in Norton, after solemn prayer to God, [and] after some dis- course on many points, the church, by vote, adjourned ye sd. meeting till March ye 24."
" March ye 24, 1761. - Ye Church met; and, after open- ing ye meeting by solemn prayer to God, -
"First, ye Church voted the Confession of Faith and Covenant of the Baptist Constitution. Then a number signed sd. Covenant; viz., William Carpenter, John Finney, Peter Soulard, Gershom Cambell, Daniel Niles, Eben Jones, Jabez Briggs, Abigail Austin, Sarah Cambell, Patience Cook, Mary Jones, Mary Phillips.
" 2nd, The Church made fresh choice of William Carpen- ter to be the elder of this Church.
"3, The Church voted that the first of April should be the day for to set apart our Pastor to the work of the ministry in the Baptist Constitution, and to send to the Baptist Churches in Middleborough (viz.) Elder Backus and Elder Hinds."
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
"April ye 1, 1761. - Mr. William Carpenter was set apart to the work of the ministry and Church, [and] settled in the gospel order in the Baptist Constitution, by Elders Backus and Hinds, Elders of the Baptist Churches in Mid- dleboro', with their assistance from sd. churches, by fasting and prayer and the laying-on of hands, giving his charge and the right hand of fellowship. [The same day], Benajah Smith, Mary Finney, Mary Poick (?), and Tabitha Briggs, signed the covenant."
Mr. Carpenter, having now been twice baptized and twice ordained, must have been well prepared for his duties as minister, if mere outward ordinances were all that was needed to give unction to his words. Without any date - but between those of April 5 and April 9, 1761 - is to be found this record, which shows the foundation whereon was reared the Baptist church : -
" Here it may be understood that the constitution of this church was changed from a Congregation[al] Church to the Baptist Constitution, and to admit none to Church-fellowship but those that are Baptised by immersion."
April 9, 1761, Gershom Cambell was chosen deacon. Deacon Cambell was the son of Sylvanus and Mary Cambell ; and was born Nov. 14, 1704. He married Sarah Andrews, May 9, 1732; and had several chil- dren. During the latter part of his life, he was supported by the town; as it appears from an order, made in 1778, to pay Dr. George Wheaton for visits to and medicine for him. He probably died not far from that time.
Oct. 14, Jabez Briggs was chosen deacon : and Nov. 11 was appointed "to set apart the deacons by solemn ordination ; " which was accordingly done " by solemn fasting and prayer, and the Laying-on of the hands." Jabez Briggs was the son of Deacon John and Hannah (Rocket) Briggs, and was born June 27, 1723. He married Tabitha Babbit, 1751 (?),
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
and had five children. The church being thus orga- nized and officered, we find but little to record for some years.
April 23, 1767, James Briggs, who had recently joined the church, " was made choice of for a Deacon, and set into that office." He is supposed to have been the same person who was deacon of the "Dissenting Church."
The ministry of Mr. Carpenter seems, in the main, to have been peaceful and prosperous ; though as pas- tor of a church that had withdrawn from the regularly constituted one of the town, and, of course, unpopular, he must have experienced some trials and difficulties which severely tested his Christian principles. Espe- pecially was this the case during his connection with the dissenting church.
For some years, he was taxed for the support of the First Church and Society ; which was a very unjust proceeding. He and his friends made repeated at- tempts to get released from being rated for the support of Mr. Palmer, but in vain. The precinct were inexo- rable. Mr. Carpenter, at length, refused to pay his precinct taxes ; and the constable took his property, and sold it. Mr. Carpenter brought an action for damage before the Court of Common Pleas at Taun- ton, in June, 1756 ; but, on account of some informali- ties in bringing the action, he lost his case. He then appealed to the Supreme Court, with no better success. Judgment was rendered against him there. It is pre- sumed that Mr. Carpenter brought another action against the town: for at the town-meeting, March, 1759, a committee of five was chosen to " settle the affair with William Carpenter, concerning his rates ; " who, at an adjourned meeting on the 16th of April, report " that sd. Carpenter be discharged from paying any rate or assessment he is now chargeable with to any constable of sd. town, on condition to [he ?] acquit and discharge sd. town from any action or actions that he might bring against sd. town, or any
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
person or persons, as constables [or] assessors, on account of any Rates the sd. Carpenter hath here- tofore paid." 1 From the town-records (book i. p. 207), it appears that Mr. Carpenter assented to these terms.
I have, however, found a document, signed jointly by four of the committee and by Mr. Carpenter, and dated " April ye 16th, 1759," which differs somewhat from the report just given. The difference is verbal rather than essential. From this it appears that Car- penter was to pay the execution the constable "re- covered against him; and that ye town pay to sd. Carpenter ye Execution which he recovered against ye town of Norton; and that ye town of Norton Discharge sd. Carpenter from any rates for ye futer, so long as he continue in the same station as he is in, and pay all ye Rates which is not paid," &c.
Thus it would seem that the matter was finally settled in Mr. Carpenter's favor ; which all, I think, must acknowledge was settling it rightly. Justice, though tardy, at length triumphed. We hear of no further trouble subsequent to this.
All we can learn relative to the death of Mr. Car- penter is contained in this extract from the church- records : -
" Aug. ye 23, 1768, Departed this life, that servant of the Lord, Elder William Carpenter, in the 58th year of his age, - a faithful laborer in the Gospel of Christ, who laboured in the Church for 20 years in the work of the ministry."
This, of course, includes the time of his connection with both churches.
Rev. Mr. Carpenter "was born in Rehoboth, in 1710." 2 He married, about 1734, Miss Abigail White ; and the births of eight children are recorded on the town-books of Attleborough, and three others in Norton.
1 This is dated April 10, 1759.
2 Backus's Church History, vol. iii. p. 159.
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
His wife died April 2, 1756. He married for second wife, in 1757, Sarah Blake, of Taunton ; who probably survived him, but we know not when she died.
Mr. Carpenter lived at the place since owned by Dr. Leavit Bates, directly in front of the Trinitarian Meeting-house ; and is said frequently to have preached in the open air, standing upon one of those great rocks which still remain near where his house stood.
The death of their revered pastor was, no doubt, a severe blow to the society. They had probably strug- gled hard for an existence thus far ; and they were not quite prepared to give up the principles they deemed all-important, even though required to make still greater sacrifices. After recovering in some measure from the shock they had received by the demise of their spiritual adviser, the records say, "the church, being in some sense sensible of the loss we met with in the death of our dear Pastor, met in the month of Sept., 1768, to consider what to do in our solitary case ; and the church unanimously agreed to continue to uphold the worship of God in this place." A praise- worthy resolution. But difficulties stood in the way of its successful accomplishment. They were few in number, and not blessed with a large amount of worldly goods. These and other influences conspired to bring about the change of affairs we shall now pro- ceed to record. We quote from the records : -
"The Baptist Society in Taunton (not having a church gathered, though they have several brethren amongst them who belong to neighboring churches) sent a committee to the Baptist Church in Norton, with a proposal of joining to maintain worship together; and, after they had considered of it, they agreed to appoint a meeting at their meeting-house in Taunton for to seek Divine direction in the affair, and to con- fer upon it, as well as to ask advice of others.
" Accordingly, on Jan. 3, 1769, the church of Norton and the society in Taunton met ; and Elder Backus, of Middlebo- rough, with several other publick laborers, - viz., Bloss and
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
Everett, [of] Attleborough ; Mr. Carver (?), of Easton ; 1 and Mr. John Martin, of Rehoboth, - were present ; and Elder Backus preached from Isa. Ixi. 3, 4. After repeated addresses to God for teaching and help, they came on to confer upon these affairs. The articles of Faith and Church Covenant in Norton were publicly read, and no objection was made against them. But one of the brethren in Taunton mentioned two things in the conduct of the church, which he objected against ; which were their allowing of communion at the Lord's table with unbaptized persons, and their allowing such to preach amongst them.
" These things were publicly discoursed upon : and it ap- peared they did not allow any to come to the ordinance of the Supper with them but such as were baptized by immersion ; though one brother was received there who held it [as] his opinion that he could commune with pedobaptist Churches ; yet now he said he did not think he should act upon that opinion, when it should grieve pious minds; upon which, satisfaction was manifested upon that point. As to the other point, the brethren and society of Taunton manifested they should not be willing to receive any to preach in the meeting- house who were not baptized by immersion ; though they would lay no restraint upon brethren as to their receiving such into their own houses. The brethren of Taunton also objected that there were two brethren who stood in a relation to the church in Norton, which they had some difficulty about ; which they desired might be cleared out of the way in a gos- pel line.
" These things being considered, the brethren of the society in general, of Taunton, voted that they freely receive them as a Church of Christ, to carry on the worship of God with them ; freely owning that the government, as to worship, is in the church, and not in any other over them.
" And the teachers who were present from other places all advised them to unite together, if they could with clearness of mind. So these things were left with the church in Nor- ton to act upon as they may see their way clear."
" At a meeting of the Baptist church in Norton, April 10, 1769 (Elder Backus being present), these things were deli- berately considered of; and the church concluded to accept of
1 From the records of the Norton Church, it appears that a Baptist church was organized in Easton in 1762; and that, on July 21 of that year, Ebene- zer Stevens was ordained pastor.
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
the proposals from Taunton, and to unite with that society upon the former proposals, provided they may be allowed the free exercise of their sentiments concerning each member improving their gifts in Divine worship.
" And also, as there appears some awakening lately in the minds of Norton people, they think it a reason also to have meeting there a part of the time, on the Sabbath at least, for the present."
" At a meeting of the church in Norton, and the Society of Taunton, at their meeting-house in Taunton, April 11, 1769, the foregoing act of the church in Norton [was ] read, and dis- tinctly discoursed upon ; and the society of Taunton voted to receive said church as they now have proposed.
" Attest : " ISAAC BACKUS, Moderator."
Thus the church without a society, and the society without a church, joined hands in wedlock; and as the bride left her native town on her marriage, and, as she was in duty bound to do, took up her residence with her husband, we shall be obliged to pass over a portion of her history somewhat rapidly.
The union being consummated, they began to look around for a spiritual adviser; and in June, 1769, " they gave Abraham Bloss, of Attleboro', a call to settle with them in the work of the ministry." He declined the invitation.
Though formally married, the church seems to have maintained the idea of "women's rights ;" for at a meeting held in Norton, Sept. 12, 1770, they voted to settle and maintain a minister by free-will offering and contribution, and, for his support, to provide a place. In October following, the society at Taunton acceded to this arrangement. May 29, 1772, the church in- vited Mr. William Nelson, of Middleborough, to settle with them as their minister.
He was ordained Nov. 12, 1772; and is supposed to have resigned about 1785, on account of ill health. While minister of the church, he resided in Norton, nearly opposite to the present Baptist Meeting-house. His brother Ebenezer was ordained pastor of the church, Nov. 10, 1790. He had preached to them
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
about two years previous to his ordination. He re- signed Feb. 25, 1795. The church are supposed to have been without a settled minister for some years. May 22, 1799, Jonathan Smith was requested to con- tinue the improvement of his gifts in the church, and to deliver his discourses from the pulpit.
In 1780, Ebenezer Burt and Joel Briggs, both of Norton, were chosen deacons of the church.
The precise date is not given on the records. Mr. Burt was the son of Ebenezer Burt, whose wife was Mrs. Naomi Acres, (daughter of Sylvanus Cambell) ; the grandson of Ebenezer and Lydia (Tippen) Burt ; and was born Jan. 14, 1736-7. In December, 1762, he married Abigail Basset, and had by her six chil- dren. November, 1780, he married (second wife) Widow Mary Morse, daughter of Ebenezer Wellman, and by her had twelve children. In 1793, he removed to Dighton ; and died in Greenwich, Dec. 10, 1807.
Joel Briggs was afterwards minister of the Baptist Society at East Stoughton.
April 8, 1805, the church chose Timothy Briggs and Noah Clapp, deacons. They were both of Norton. Mr. Briggs was the son of Timothy and Mary (Briggs) Briggs, and was born April 27, 1745. He was the grandson of Richard Briggs, one of the first settlers of Norton. He married, in 1770 (?), Abigail Patten, of Stoughton ; and had three children. He died Nov. 10, 1819.
Mr. Clapp was the son of Samuel, jun., and Mary (Pomeroy) Clapp; grandson of Samuel and Elizabeth Clapp, who were among the early settlers of the town ; and was born April 5, 1748. He married, April 16, 1776, Olive Shepard ; and had eight children. He died Nov. 10, 1820.
June 21, 1805, Zephaniah Crossman was requested to continue with the church as a preacher " one year from the first of April last." Feb. 15, 1806, Mr. Crossman was invited to continue a year longer ; but on the 14th of August, 1806, he was, by vote, dis- missed "from any further labor in the church."
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
From the records, it does not appear very clearly who subsequently supplied the pulpit; but it is evident that there was a great want of harmony among the members. Frequent church-meetings were held to allay strife, and settle grievances and "labour" with members for real or supposed dereliction of duty. It is proper, perhaps, to throw the veil of oblivion over these petty shortcomings of a Christian life ; but one case is so perfectly ludicrous in its nature, that we cannot withhold it. In 1770, Eleazer Fisher accused Mrs. Morton of " breaking fellowship with them, and joining with the world." The church met to investi- gate the matter, when it appeared that all the ground for his accusation was this: In going to and from meeting, and at other times, Mrs. Morton preferred the company of her husband, who was not, to that of Fisher, who was, a church-member; and hence he accused her of leaving the church, and joining in with the world ! The church, of course, decided that Fisher's accusation was groundless ; but, at several subsequent meetings, Fisher still persisting in his charges, the church finally admonished him to re- pent of his faults, and suspended him from com- munion.
In 1807, the church "voted to withdraw fellow- ship from" forty-two persons. A few such votes would, of course, destroy any church; and these fre- quent suspensions and withdrawals of fellowship, no doubt, did much to create alienation of feeling and discord among their ranks.
There was probably some disagreement in the so- ciety about doctrines ; and this and the other causes we have mentioned eventually caused a division of the society. In the spring of 1822, a portion of the old church formed a Freewill-Baptist society, and or- ganized a church June 13 of the same year, - a part of the members belonging to Norton; 1 and, for
1 There are still some members of the Freewill church of North Taunton who belong to this town, and one of the deacons (Hiram J. Hunt) is a resi- dent of Norton.
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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH.
several years succeeding, the two societies, I am told, occupied the meeting-house alternately. But some- times mistakes were made, and the ministers of the two societies would have appointments to preach in the house at the same time.
This, of course, was an unpleasant state of things, and probably led finally to the formation of the Bap- tist society in the east part of Norton ; the Freewillers retaining possession of the old meeting-house in Taun- ton.
Feb. 14, 1824, there is made in the records of the old society the following entry : " voted to have preach- ing the ensuing year one-half the time." - " Voted to apply to Br. John Allen to be with us one-half the time ; the preaching to be one-half the time in Norton, the other in Taunton." Immediately under this, with- out any date, is written with a pencil, " voted to break up, - ASAHEL TUCKER, Clerk." But, on a loose paper in the record-book, I find the minutes of some transac- tions of the church for several years, the last of which is dated " Taunton, Dec., 1834."
For about ten years previous to its dissolution, it is supposed the society did not have regular meetings ; and many of the members, desiring some regular place of worship and a stated ministry, connected themselves with other societies in this vicinity. The vote "to break up," above mentioned, may have reference to the vote of the church which is recorded in the records of the present Baptist Church, and which constitutes the finale of the old society. We here transcribe it, and thus bring this chapter to a close : -
"At a meeting of the first Baptist Church in Taunton, holden at the house of Amos Keith, in Norton, Oct. 13th, 1835, for the purpose of considering the expediency of dis- solving said Church and forming a new one, Chose Br. S. Hall, Moderator ; and Br. H. C. Coombs, Clerk. The meeting then opened with prayer by Br. T. C. Tingley. The Church, after taking into consideration their present circumstances & future prospects, voted that the first Baptist Church in Taun- ton be dissolved."
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462
BAPTIST CHURCH AT WINNECONNET.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
BAPTIST CHURCH AT WINNECONNET.
"Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." - LUKE.
THIS church was formed immediately after the dissolu- tion of the old one, as mentioned in the closing para- graph of the last chapter. The records say, -
"At a meeting of individuals, formerly members of [the] first Baptist Church in Taunton and Foxborough,1 holden at the house of Mr. Amos Keith, in Norton, Oct. 13, 1835, after considering the expediency of constituting a new Church, voted to consider ourselves a Church, to be called The First Baptist Church in Norton.
" Voted to adopt the summary declaration of faith and practice of the Second Baptist Church in Boston, together with the following Resolution : -
" Resolved, That we disapprove of the use of ardent spirits, or the furnishing of it to others, excepting when absolutely necessary as a medicine in the case of sickness ; and that all the members of the Church, and those who may hereafter become members, be requested to sign this resolution."
Hence, with the gospel of Jesus in one hand and the temperance pledge in the other, this church started on her work of reform. A noble beginning. They were not, however, "The First Baptist Church in Norton ;" for we have already shown, in the pre- ceding chapter, that a Baptist church was organized here almost a century ago. Possibly these individuals might have considered themselves as the legitimate representatives of the old church in Norton, which
1 It is not to be understood that any of these "individuals " were citi- zens of Foxborough. They were members of the church there, but resided elsewhere. For instance, Mr. Amos Keith, of this town, was for some time a member of the Foxborough Church previous to Oct. 13, 1835.
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BAPTIST CHURCH AT WINNECONNET.
joined the Taunton Society in 1769. On being di- vorced, the church might have assumed its maiden name. If so, they could, with some propriety, have taken the name they did. The following are the names of those who organized themselves into a church at the time above stated : Caleb Atherton, Tis- dale Godfrey, Beulah Lincoln, Nancy Lincoln, Hannah Thayer, Patience Lincoln, Hannah Clapp, Betsy Snow, Stella Keith, Nancy Austin, Anna Macomber, Joanna Atherton, Temperance White.1
They resided in Mansfield, Easton, Taunton, and Norton.
Nov. 1, 1835, the church " Resolved to invite Br. Henry C. Coombs to preach six months." He had already been preaching for them for one month ; and was no doubt, in some degree, instrumental in the formation of the new society. He is the son of Rev. Simeon Coombs, and was born in that part of Middleborough now Lakeville, Sept. 3, 1810. He was educated at the Pierce Academy of his native town, and at the New-Hampton Academy and Theo- logical Institution in New Hampshire. His first set- tlement was here; but he was ordained at Middle-
borough. He left here Aug. 31, 1837. During his ministry in the year 1836, the present meeting-house of the society, at Winneconnet Village, was built. March 17, 1836, the church "Voted to receive or accept of the first Baptist meeting-house in Norton, as offered by the shareholders." I am told that Caleb Atherton and Asahel Snow owned a little more than half of the shares in the meeting-house. Mr. Moses Lincoln gave the land whereon it is built, with the proviso, that, if the house should ever come into the possession of others than those of Calvinistic-Baptist principles, the land should revert to the heirs of the
1 These names were furnished me by Rev. J. J. Bronson. Another authority says Amos Keith and Lydia Thayer were of the original mem- bers, and omits the names of Hannah Clapp and Temperance White. Which is correct, we have been unable to learn. Both say there were thirteen members at its organization.
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BAPTIST CHURCH AT WINNECONNET.
donor. Nathan Chapman was the second regular preacher, and was hired from April 1, 1838, till April 1, 1841. May 15, 1844, Samuel J. Carr was ordained as pastor. The sermon was preached by Rev. A. Bronson, of Fall River ; the ordaining prayer, by Rev. B. C. Grafton, of Somerset ; right hand, by H. C. Coombs, of Rehoboth. Mr. Carr remained only about a year after his ordination. Rev. John Hol- brook was settled over the society, Dec. 7, 1845; and remained till April, 1848. Jan. 31, 1849, Rev. John G. Bowen was ordained as the minister. The sermon was by Rev. Rufus R. Babcock, of New Bedford; or- daining prayer, by Rev. E. H. Fuller, of Somerset ; right hand, by Rev. S. J. Carr, of Mansfield. Mr. Bowen left "for the west," Sept. 29, 1849.
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